Kings Island
Kings Island is an amusement park located in Mason, Ohio, not too far from the city of Cincinnati. Opened in 1972, Kings Island has been recognized as one of the most notable seasonal theme parks in the United States, and is home to several record breaking coasters, including ''The Beast'' and ''Banshee''. The park has switched owners numerous times since it first opened, and as a result, has used several famous cartoon characters as its mascots over the years, beginning with Hanna-Barbera characters such as Scooby-Doo, and later Nickelodeon characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants. The current set of mascots for the park are the characters from Charles Schulz' Peanuts comic strip such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy. History In 1972, a new amusement park was opened by Taft Broadcasting in Mason, Ohio to relocate several rides from existing park Coney Island, which was built near the Ohio River and prone to flooding. The new park was named Kings Island, taking its name from Coney Island and the nearby area of Kings Mills. Hosting a variety of rides and shows for all ages, Kings Island has drastically changed throughout the years. Originally, the park mascots were the animated characters of Hanna-Barbera, but this changed when Paramount bought the parks in 1992 and merged with Viacom in 1994 to implement Nickelodeon TV characters, as well as rides based on Paramount films such as Top Gun, Face/Off, The Italian Job: Stunt Track, and Tomb Raider: The Ride. The Hanna-Barbera characters remained in the park until 2006, when the childrens' area of Hanna-Barbera Land was changed to Nickelodeon Universe, though Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle ''remained in the park as part of International Street, along with Scooby-Doo himself having a meet-and-greet location nearby. That same year, the current owners of the park, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, acquired Kings Island and the rest of Paramount's theme parks. As a result, they began to remove all movie themes from their rides starting in 2008, in addition to replacing the Nickelodeon Universe with the current Planet Snoopy in 2010, featuring characters from Charles Schulz's ''Peanuts comic strip. The Peanuts retheming also resulted in the removal of Scooby-Doo in his ride, which was rethemed to a generic haunted house under the name Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. This marked the first time that Scooby-Doo was not present in the park since it first opened, which at the time was over thirty-five years. As of 2019, Kings Island has been entertaining guests for over forty-five years, and now features over fifteen roller coasters, multiple carnival rides, and various carnival games and live performance shows for all of its guests to enjoy. Layout Kings Island is split into nine sections, although only seven are officially recognized in park maps and on the park's official site. Each section is themed to a certain concept, with the attractions, scenery, and restaurants also reflecting on the themes of the area. International Street International Street is the entrance area of the park. This area is themed to a small town, possibly to imply the beginning of an adventure. Most of this area features restaurants, gift shops, and restrooms, but there are also a few attractions as well: Attractions: * Eiffel Tower * Grand Carousel * Boo Blasters on Boo Hill Theaters/Stages: * Kings Island Theater (Formerly known as The Paramount Theatre) * International Street Bandstand * International Showplace Former Attractions: * Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle (Closed in 2010, Replaced with Boo Blasters on Boo Hill) * Phantom Theater (Closed in 2002, Replaced by Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle) * Enchanted Voyage (Replaced by Phantom Theater) Gift Shops: * Build-A-Bear Workshop * Pop Culture Corner * Emporium Restaurants: * Skyline Chili * LaRosa's Pizzeria * Starbucks * Graeter's * Cinnabon * Sweet Spot Action Zone The Action Zone is home to many of the major thrill rides of the park. Although originally themed to a stunt arena for films under Paramount's ownership, it is now themed around thrillseeking and adventure, and features many rides to accompany this theme. The site of this area originally opened as Lion Country Safari (later renamed Wild Animal Safari), and featured a monorail attraction where guests could observe various zoo animals. A sub-area named Adventure Village later opened in this spot, before all animal attractions were removed and the Adventure Village name was given to the entire area. The area was again entirely rethemed and renamed to its current iteration of the Paramount Action Zone, featuring rides either based on or named after Paramount films. The film company's name was removed along with several rides being renamed following Cedar Fair's acquisition of the park. Attractions: * Banshee * The Bat (Previously known as Flight Deck and Top Gun) * Drop Tower: Scream Zone (Previously known as Drop Zone: Stunt Tower) * Delirium * Congo Falls (Previously known as Amazon Falls) * Invertigo * Xtreme Skyflyer * Timberwolf Amphitheatre (Seasonal) Former Attractions: * Son of Beast (Closed in 2009. Replaced by Banshee) * Thunder Alley (Previously known as Days of Thunder and XS Raceway. Closed in 2012. Replaced by the queue line for Banshee) * King Cobra (Closed in 2001) * Screamin' Demon (Closed in 1987) Restaurants: * Ice Scream Zone Oktoberfest Named for the German festival of the same name, this area reflects on the heavy amount of German heritage in the Cincinnati area, and even sells beer at the Festhaus and Bier Garten. Attractions: * Adventure Express * Viking Fury * Sling Shot Theaters/Stages: * Festhaus Former Attractions: * Remote Control Boats Restaurants: * Festhaus * Hank's Mexican Grill Former Restaurants: * Bubba Gump (Closed due to being based on the 1994 Paramount film Forrest Gump. Replaced by Hank's Burrito Shack, later renamed to Hank's Mexican Grill.) Coney Mall Themed to classic carnivals and named for the park's predecessor, Coney Island, this area features many classic themed rides, carnival games, and restaurants. This area also features a large arcade. During ''Halloween Haunt'', the name of this area is changed to "Coney Maul", a play on words referencing the act of violently killing something, much like a carnivorous animal would. Attractions: * The Racer * Backlot Stunt Coaster (Previously known as The Italian Job: Stunt Track) * Dodgem * Scrambler * Zephyr * Monster * Shake, Rattle, and Roll * Windseeker * Kings Mills Antique Autos ''(Previously closed in 2004 as ''Les Taxis to make way for The Italian Job: Stunt Track. Reopened in 2019 at a new location near Windseeker.) Former Attractions: * Vortex (Closed at the conclusion of the 2019 season. Arrow Dynamics custom looping coaster that operated for over thirty years at the park) * Dinosaurs Alive! ''(Closed at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Animatronic dinosaur exhibition featuring 60 dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus Rex.) * ''Action Theater (Closed in 2014. The building has since been used exclusively for the hospital-themed Halloween Haunt maze Urgent Scare.) * Flight Commander (Closed in 1995. A family ride similar to Astro Orbiter at various Disney Parks. The site of the ride sits unused, but it was previously used as a space for hosting special events, particularly children's birthday parties.) * The Bat (Closed in 1983. Replaced by Vortex. Name was later reused for a 2014 re-theme of Flight Deck.) * Les Taxis (Closed in 2004. Replaced by The Italian Job: Stunt Track) * Ohio Overland Auto Livery ''(Closed in 1997. Replaced by ''The Italian Job Stunt Track ''in 2005)'' * Flying Eagles (Previously known as Flying Scooters. Closed in 2004. Replaced by the 3-Point Challenge basketball hoops game''.'' A clone of this ride was later built in Planet Snoopy in 2015, under the name Woodstock Gliders.) * Halley's Comet (Closed in 1979. Replaced by The Bat, a classic Round-Up ride) * Zodiac (Closed in 1989. Replaced by Flight Commander, a double Ferris Wheel ride) Former Gift Shops: * Attitudes (Closed in 2017. Replaced by Coney BBQ. Sold merchandise based on various titles in pop culture.) Restaurants: * Coney BBQ * Skyline Chili * Subway * Juke Box Diner * Coney Treats Area 72 * Formerly known as X-Base. Although officially recognized as part of Coney Mall, a nearby sign marks that this is a separate area themed to a top-secret military base specializing in extraterrestrial studies. Attractions: * Flight of Fear (Previously known as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear) * Orion Former Attractions: * Firehawk (Originally operated at Geauga Lake as X-Flight. Closed at the conclusion of the 2018 season and replaced by Orion in 2020.) * Fight Team Aerial Helicopter Tours Rivertown Rivertown is an area themed to an old-time small town, with some of its rides implying that is a ghost town. This is due to the three coasters being given the storylines that the area of the rides was abandoned due to unusual circumstances, particularly as a result of a mysterious, but dangerous creature now inhabiting the property. Attractions: * The Beast * Diamondback * Mystic Timbers * White Water Canyon * Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad Former Attractions: * The Crypt (Previously known as Tomb Raider: The Ride, Closed in 2011, The ride building currently houses Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror during Halloween Haunt) * Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal (Closed in 2001, Replaced by Tomb Raider: The Ride) Restaurants: * LaRosa's Pizzeria * Tom + Chee * Miami River Brewhouse * Rivertown Potato Works * Rivertown Funnel Cakes (Moved in 2016 for construction of Mystic Timbers) Planet Snoopy Originally named Hanna-Barbera Land and themed to Hanna-Barbera cartoons, the family area of the park has changed themes numerous times, once to Nickelodeon's library of television shows under the name Nickelodeon Universe, and again to its current theme of the Peanuts comic strips and TV specials by Charles Schulz. Some of the theming from when the area used to be known as Nickelodeon Universe is still present if one looks closely, while other rides have had multiple effects removed that affect the quality of the ride. Attractions: * Flying Ace Aerial Chase (Previously known as Rugrats Runaway Reptar) * Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown! (Previously known as The Wild Thornberry's River Adventure and Kings Mill Log Flume) * Woodstock Express (Previously known as Scooby-Doo, The Beastie, and Fairly Odd Coaster) * Surf Dog (Previously known as Avatar: The Last Airbender) * Linus Launcher (Previously known as Danny Phantom's Phantom Flyers) * Snoopy's Barnyard Friends * The Great Pumpkin Coaster (Previously known as Little Bill's Giggle Coaster, Top Cat's Taxi Jam, and Scooby-Zoom) * Woodstock Whirlybirds (Previously known as Lazytown Sportacopters and Yogi's Sky Tours) * The Kite-Eating Tree (Previously known as Plankton's Plunge) * Snoopy VS The Red Baron (Previously known as Blue's Skidoo and Dick Dastardly's Biplanes) * Joe Cool's Dodgem School (Previously known as Jimmy Neutron's Atom Smasher and The Flintstones Boulder Bumpers) * Character Carousel (Previously known as Nick-O-Round ''and ''Hanna-Barbera Carousel) * Charlie Brown's Wind-Up (Previously known as The Backyardigan's Swing Along and Pixie and Dixie's Swing Set) * Woodstock Gliders (Formerly located at Coney Mall as Flying Eagles) * Snoopy's Space Buggies * Sally's Sea Plane (Previously known as Timmy's Air Tours and Atom Ant's Airways) * Snoopy's Junction (Previously known as La Adventura de Azul and Quick Draw's Railway) * Linus' Beetle Bugs (Previously known as Swiper's Sweepers, Alley Cat 500, Funky Phantom, and Screecher) * Peanuts 500 (Previously known as Nick Jr. Drivers, Fender Bender 500, Kiddie Turnpike, and Mr. Jinks' Jalopies) * Peanuts Off-Road Rally (Previously known as Go, Diego, Go!, Motor Mouse, and Pee Wee Raceway) Former Attractions: * Snoopy's Splash Dance (Closed in 2014, Replaced by Woodstock Gliders and Snoopy's Space Buggies, Previously known as SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Bash and Nickelodeon Green Slime Zone) * Scooby's Ghoster Coaster (Closed in 2005 during the Nickelodeon Universe renovation) * Boo-Boo's Baggage Claim (Closed in 2005 during the Nickelodeon Universe renovation) * Baba Louey's Buggies (Closed in 2005 during the Nickelodeon Universe renovation) Soak City: Soak City is the water-park section of Kings Island included with admission. It first opened in 1989 as WaterWorks, before being rethemed in 2004 as Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay. The name was shortened to Boomerang Bay in 2007 to drop any ties to the film franchise under Cedar Fair's ownership. The section was then once again rethemed and expanded, being given the new name of Soak City, the same name shared by several of Cedar Fair's water parks. Attractions: * Mondo Monsoon (Previously known as Tasmanian Typhoon) * Breaker's Bay (Previously known as Great Barrier Reef ''and ''Surfside Bay) * Tidal Wave Bay * Tropical Plunge * Pineapple Pipeline (Previously known as Bondi Pipeline and Bonzai Pipeline) * Splash River (Previously known as Crocodile Run ''and ''Kings Mills Run) * Splash Landing (Previously known as Jackaroo Landing) * Rendezvous Run (Previously known as Coolangatta Racer) * Pipeline Paradise (Previously known as Wipe-Out Beach) * Thunder Falls (Previously known as Sydney Sidewinder and Sidewinder) * Tropical Twister (Previously known as Awesome Aussie Twister and Ultra Twister) * Paradise Plunge (Previously known as Down Under Thunder and The Helix) * Zoom Flume (Previously known as Snowy River Rampage and Rushing River) * Aruba Tuba (Previously known as Koala Splash) * Lookout Lagoon (Previously known as Kangaroo Lagoon) * Castaway Cove (Previously known as Wallaby Wharf) * Coconut Cove (Previously known as Kookaburra Bay) Former attractions *Splash Island (Closed in 1996 for expansion) *Fast Tracks (Closed in 2003, replaced by ''Coolangetta Racer ''